


Winter Blues

by BlueLionWrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fireplaces, Happy Ending, Hot Chocolate, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Past Relationship(s), Reunions, Shance Secret Santa 2018, Slow Dancing, Snow, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:33:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLionWrites/pseuds/BlueLionWrites
Summary: What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation away from all the glitz and glam of Hollywood for film star Lance McClain and his cat, Blue, soon turns sour when paparazzi follow him all the way to Montreal. After an attempted break-in into his hotel room, Lance leaves, driving across the border and through the ass end of Vermont until finally ending up at a small motel in Maine run by the last person he ever expected to see again.





	Winter Blues

**Author's Note:**

> First of all MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, I LOVE YOU ALL  
> This is my entry for the Shance Secret Santa Exchange of 2018, I hope you guys like it!! 
> 
> This work is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own ^-^

_Our fingers brushed_

_A whisper of hidden promise_

_Shared in darkness_

_When all around us slept on_

_It was our own world_

_Crumbling down around us_

_The walls fell_

_Our fingers brushed again_

_We reached for each other_

_Taken away was a piece of me_

_And in our farewell_

_Those sweet nothings we whispered_

_In the cover of night_

_Spilled forth_

_Until the day we reunite_

_And I can tell you once more_

The snow had begun to fall faster and heavier now, flecks of white that danced across the fogged glass of his windshield and disappeared as fast as each flake came. As each snowflake fell, they press gentle kisses to the blue paint of his rental car before falling to the roadside, adding to the snow that led into the icy slush that hugged the tar. The road was slick with ice and with every mile added to the odometer, Lance’s anxiety grew. The fuel gauge was steadily declining and still there were no signs of anyone who lived nearby and he had yet to pass another car for the duration of his drive along the winding back road encased in darkness.

To preserve his fuel, Lance turned off the heating system, fingers drumming anxiously on the black cover that encased the steering wheel. Blue, his ragdoll, was fast asleep in his lap and had been for miles now, soaking up the body heat Lance had to offer and purring like a V8 engine.  
What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation took a sharp turn when paparazzi and a handful or so of crazed fans followed him from his home in Los Angeles to a beautiful resort in Montreal. Being a film star was a glamorous and rewarding career but its downsides included an unscrupulous invasion of privacy and being driven out of his hotel room at three in the morning with a hastily packed suitcase and Blue cradled against his chest was a clear example of that. He had woken to the sound of Blue hissing defensively, fur raised and tail puffed up in anger, just in time to see his door swing open, the lock clicking open with seemingly little difficulty. The assailant stood in the doorway, backlit by the warm lights of the chandeliers that decorated the halls, intending to steal belongings from his suitcase. Lance called the front desk and soon the blue and red lights of police-issued vehicles decorated the cool grey walls of his room, shining through the sheer curtains that skirted the vast windows. 

Sometime ago he had crossed the border into Vermont, briefly wondering if he had passed into an alternate dimension where other people had been wiped out by some type of zombie apocalypse-type plague that had wiped civilisation off the map as he continued to drive, waiting to come across a single fucking gas station yet still, there were none. The roads were narrow, slick with ice and the trees were bare, reaching for his car with gnarled, wooden claws. The sun had sunk below the horizon and out of sight, turning everything as black as pitch and the moon was only a sliver in the sky, dappling the ground in pale shadows. 

Another hour passed Lance by, his gas was running dangerously level and the dash was now broadcasting the orange glow of his fuel light. Lance was flat out panicking at this point, the iced road was slick and the snow was creating a white screen that made seeing more than a foot in front of his car nigh on impossible. Lance sent a prayer to the almighty Gods that he find somewhere to stop, promising he’d attend church more often and would throw away his beloved ivy green, glitterised cowboy boots, that all of his friends hated with a burning passion. He had found them in a thrift store the day after the first ever movie he starred in finished filming, using a small amount of his first paycheck to buy them. 

With a handful of other promises that he almost definitely wouldn’t actually follow through with, Lance crested a steep hill, tires spinning on the ice-slick tar and with a shout of pure relief that had Blue startling awake and leaping across the car in surprise at the sudden outburst, a light shone in the distance. 

**The Atlas Motel – VACANCY**  
**ROOMS AVAILABLE**

With a relieved sigh, Lance slowed his decline down the hill, almost coming to a complete stop before turning into the gravel driveway that led to the beautiful cabins of The Atlas Motel. He rolled to a stop beneath a homemade carport and pulled Blue into his arms, tucking her into the fold of his grey pea-coat so she’d stay warm, only her head peeking out above the lapels. 

Lance rapped his knuckles against the office door, cursing under his breath at the wind that bit at his bare legs with teeth of ice. He hadn’t had time to change out of his pyjamas, only stopping to pull a jacket on before rushing out of his hotel back in Montreal. When no answer came to the door of the reception building, he knocked again; his fist hitting against the unforgiving wood of the door with desperation as slush began to sink into his blue kitty slippers. He began to panic as the icy wind bit through his less-than-ample clothing and shards of ice sliced across his skin as the vicious wind picked up speed. 

A few choice words later, Lance was ready to return to his car when a house he had not noticed at first drew his attention. It was beautiful; looking more like a manor than a house with towering stone walls and rooftops that angled sharply towards the snow-covered ground. Turrets and spires accentuated the stone roofs and for a moment, Lance could do no more than stare in wonder at the breathtaking structure. Warm light shone from one of the many windows and Lance sighed in relief. He drew the conclusion that the owner must live atop the hill while running the motel that sat nestled at the bottom of the hill. Lance spotted a set of stairs that lead him up to the house, practically running to fight against the chill that had set into his bones. 

He pulled his jacket closed tighter around Blue to protect her from the ever-increasing snowfall and took in the ornaments that decorated every inch of the porch; a huge wreath made from faux-pine leaves was violently decorated with vibrantly coloured flowers and glitter-covered plastic hippos hung from the door, royal purple tinsel wrapped around the banister that hugged the entire porch and a cubic mile of fairy lights covered the entire space, dangling from the porch’s ceiling, though they had been switched off. After several attempts at knocking politely, Lance banged his fist on the door until finally heavy footsteps sounded from behind the heavy, oak door and loud muttering grew clearer as the house-owner reached the door. 

“I swear, if you’re a caroler at this time of night, I’ll turn the hose on you…”, the door swung open almost violently, the owner falling silent before smiling sheepishly and rubbing at the back of his neck.

Lance’s jaw visibly dropped at the disheveled Adonis before him; he was easily over six foot tall with a jaw line and muscles so impressive that Michelangelo himself had to have come back from the dead to chisel them himself. A series of vicious scars cut across his arms, thighs and across the bridge of his nose yet it did little to take away from the man’s beauty. His white forelock was sticking up six ways from Sunday and he was clad in a wife-beater and black silk boxers, a vibrant purple robe hung off of his frame, the cord longer on one side and dragging along the ground. 

“Well, Merry Christmas to me” Lance smirked, finally speaking as he folded his arms over his chest, “Sorry for waking you man, my car’s almost out of fuel, I’m lost and I needed somewhere to stay, here’s the only place I’d seen for the last five hours”

“Oh my god” the motel-owner gasped, thick fingers encircling Lance’s significantly daintier wrist and tugging him inside, closing the door behind them, “I’m so sorry, you’ve just been standing out there… You’re probably freezing; let me get you something warmer to wear. The name’s Shiro by the way, I run this place”.

Lance paused, the smile he’d had on his face slowly slipping away to a contemplative frown. Blue wriggled in his arms, trying to escape in order to find somewhere warm to curl up and sleep. Before Shiro made it halfway up the curving staircase, Lance opened his mouth to speak. 

“Hey Shiro?”

“Yeah?” he answered, turning to face Lance and offering a small smile of encouragement that had the actor’s heart beating a little faster.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Takashi Shirogane by any chance, would you?” Lance asked softly. He could no longer feel the cold that had seeped into his bones as a different kind of numbness set in. 

“Yeah… How’d you know that?“. 

“We used to date” Lance said simply, dumbstruck.

* * * 

Shiro had led them up a vast, curving staircase and into what he assumed was the master bedroom. It truly was fit for a king; with distressed, wooden floors, purple, velvet drapes and a canopy bed that could easily fit four people. Built into the wall that faced the bed was a massive stone fireplace, two wingback armchairs and a coffee table faced the roaring flames, seated atop a plush rug. Shiro took a seat in one and offered the other to Lance who immediately snuggled in, decked in a pair of Shiro’s sweatpants that covered his feet. Blue was curled around the back of Lance’s neck like a shawl and Shiro murmured something about making Lance a warm drink. 

He returned nearly ten minutes later with two mugs of hot chocolate in his hand, whipped cream and marshmallows piled high and sprinkled with chocolate powder. He handed the blue mug over to Lance before returning to his own seat, sipping at the sweet drink with a contented hum. Shiro smiled softly into the warm light of the fire; shadows flickering and dancing across his skin, softening his rugged appearance. 

“Wow... Lance. I can’t believe it’s you. I never thought I’d see you again after we moved away”

“I know! How’d you even end up in Maine? I thought you and your family were moving down to Texas?”

“Yeah we did for a while but...” Shiro trailed off with a sad smile, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s a story for another time, I think. We should be celebrating”

“I remember this from when we were dating; you have a habit of keeping things bottled up so you don’t worry anyone. You look like you need someone to talk to and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, so if you want someone to talk to, well I’m all ears hotstuff”.

Shiro sent a dazzling smile over at Lance, chocolate eyes warm with gratitude, “A couple years after we moved, when I was in my final year of college, I drove down to meet up with dad, mom and Keith to have dinner for mum’s birthday but on our way home, their car was hit by a drunk driver. Keith was the only one who survived. ‘S why I’m covered in scars... I was cut up pretty bad by all the glass and metal when I pulled Keith out of the wreckage”.

“I finished my degree and moved us up here to Maine to live with our grandparents. They left me this place when they passed on and I’ve been running it ever since. Keith is in college now, studying music”.

Lance hummed sympathetically, placing his hot chocolate on the coffee table and Blue on the rug before plucking Shiro’s own mug from his hand and pulling him up to stand. He pulled Shiro towards him, standing them chest to chest; he placed Shiro’s hands on his waist and looped his arms behind Shiro’s neck, swaying gently in place. 

“I’m sorry” Lance said simply, one of his arms rubbing circles on the back of Shiro’s neck and the other came up to scratch at the short hair of Shiro’s undercut, fingernails dragging lightly across Shiro’s scalp. 

Though there was no music, they moved to their own beat, listening to the other’s gentle breathing and the soft thump of their heartbeats. It was almost like they were back in high school, slow dancing at their senior prom. They had once been the It couple; the star quarterback and the cheerleading captain, totally inseparable. Shiro managed to be a star footballer but he never once lived up to the stereotype, finding a lot of joy in tutoring the juniors and working as part of the student council.

Lance was a drama student with a true flair for the dramatic but when Shiro had moved away due to his dad’s work, it was hard to recover. They spoke on the phone but with Shiro’s course load, Lance’s acting career taking off and the hour time difference, they were always missing each other when the other called. 

“Y’know”, Lance murmured, looking up at Shiro with a small smile, “I never really got over you... Even after you moved away, I still considered us together cause we didn’t officially break up or anything... I think you were always gonna be it for me" Lance admits softly, pressing his face into the warmth of Shiro’s chest and smiling to himself as Shiro’s heartbeat sped up and his hands pressed harder against Lance’s waist, pulling them flush against one another. 

“Yeah” Shiro hummed in agreement, smiling softly to himself. “I was with a guy while I was in college… I fell in love with him but it never felt quite right, like there was something missing that couldn’t make it perfect… I guess its because it wasn’t you”.

Shiro moved back a step, slipping one of his hands from where it sat comfortably on Lance’s waist to caress his cheek, eyes meeting with his and already he could feel himself drowning; the pools of ocean blue that had enticed him the first time they’d met, the same ones that pulled him in now. It was as if no time had passed between them, still the two lovestruck teenagers they had once been, slow dancing to their own tune. 

“You can stay here if you want. There aren’t any guests down at the motel so I haven’t lit a fire down and it’s already warm here. I promise I’m not a cover-hog” Shiro grinned

“If you wanted to get me into bed gorgeous, you should’ve just asked” Lance winked, disentangling himself from Shiro’s arms to remove his peacoat, draping it over the back of the armchair and crossing the room to the vast bed, taking in the beautiful, sheer drapery that hung from the canopy before crawling atop the plush mattress. Shiro crawled in beside him and pulled the covers up over the both of them, lying so they faced one another. Lance pressed a hand to Shiro’s cheek and smiled fondly. No matter how much time had passed between them, he would always find Shiro beautiful. 

“You’re just as beautiful as the day I left” Shiro sighed, fingers dancing along the exposed skin of Lance’s shoulder, as if needing physical reassurance that Lance was there and not just a figment of his imagination. They lay in companionable silence, just gazing at one another and listening to the sounds the world outside the glass windows produced, lulling them into a peaceful state of mind. 

“Hey Shiro?” Lance murmured tentatively, eyes flicking up to meet Shiro’s own inquisitive gaze.

“I’m glad we found each other again” 

* * *

_Two Years Later_

“This place kinda reminds me of when we had our totally glamorous reunion” Lance grinned, pulling his suitcase from the back of the silver SUV and placing it on the ground, tucking his gloveless hands under his arms as Shiro draped an arm over his narrow shoulders. 

“You mean the glamorous reunion where you woke me up at one in the morning wearing booty shorts after trudging through the snow because you were lost?” Shiro teases, clapping a hand on Lance’s denim-clad behind and laughing as Lance flips him off with his tongue sticking out. 

Shiro’s brother and his friends had agreed to watch over Blue and the motel so Shiro could take Lance on holiday when he finally had time off from the movie he was starring in and after hours of driving they had finally stopped at a beautiful ski resort, a vast log cabin that overlooked a snow covered expanse of tall trees and beautiful panoramic views. The sun was setting over the horizon, turning the snow a brilliant orange as they made their way inside, suitcases being towed behind them. 

They checked into their room; Lance squealing in delight as Shiro led him to a beautiful, secluded log cabin, already prepared with a roaring fire and a bed covered in plush cushions. It was nestled between tall pine trees and snowflakes had already begun to fall, dotting Lance’s hair with specks of white. 

They left their bags by the door, taking in the décor with wide smiles as they stepped further inside, toeing off their boots. Shiro pulled Lance into his arms, a broad grin on his face as he covered his face in kisses, before finally ending on his lips, their kiss deepening. Lance encircled his arms around Shiro’s neck, smiling into their embrace. 

“God, I love you” Shiro sighed as they broke apart, pulling Lance in for another chaste kiss.

“I love you too starshine” Lance said warmly, pressing a kiss to the tip of Shiro’s nose. 

He led Lance over to the plush armchairs that rested in front of the fire just like they did back home. Lance snuggled into the chair, curling his legs underneath his body as Shiro fiddled around in the kitchenette, returning minutes later with two mugs piled high with whipped cream and mini marshmallows. 

“It’s hot chocolate. The same one I made the first time you ever showed up on my doorstep. Y’know, that was two years ago today… “ Shiro placed the two mugs down on the small table beside Lance’s armchair, digging around in his coat pockets before finally finding what he was looking for. Shiro dropped to one knee. 

“Lance McClain, will you marry me?”


End file.
